The present invention relates to a large foldable hay rake that can move through a hay field of cut hay in a swath up to 40 feet wide or greater to turn the hay and present the hay in elongated windrows ready for harvesting or baling, usually in large round or square bales weighing almost a ton or more.
Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for engaging or disengaging the individual raking wheels mounted on a large foldable hay rake. This invention is an improvement over prior and existing large foldable hay rakes such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,055 to Rowse et al.
Existing foldable hay rakes typically have an actuating rod or lift tube that runs alongside and is supported by the rake arms. Individual raking wheels are mounted to the rake arms and are connected to the lift tube such that when the lift tube is translationally shifted relative to the rake arms, the raking wheels are either lifted or lowered. Specifically, existing foldable hay rakes utilize a hydraulic cylinder mounted to the end of the rake arm extension and connected to the lift tube. When the cylinder rod is retracted, the raking wheels are engaged with the ground surface. The cylinder rod extends to effectively push the lift tube from the rearward end of the lift tube and raise the individual raking wheels from the ground surface.
The problem with existing foldable hay rakes is that pushing from the rearward end of the lift tube to raise the individual raking wheels often bends or damages the lift tube.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a device for raising or lowering the individual raking wheels on a foldable hay rake that is durable and will not damage or bend the other components of the foldable hay rake.
A further object of this invention is to provide a device for raising or lowering the individual raking wheels on a foldable hay rake wherein the lifting cylinder pulls the lift tube from the forward end to raise the raking wheels from the ground surface.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.